the f work

FORMALS.

So lately i have had a few questions about formals what to wear, how to accessorize, spray tan or no tan and where to get your make up done ect.. so i have decided to give you my opinion on what i have done in the past and what i would do in the future if another formal did arise.

I love formals they are so exciting but there can also be a huge amount of pressure on the girl to look amazing. Its pretty easy for a guy all they need is a suit and tie/bow tie a pair of nice shoes and a bit of gel through there hair and they are done.. if only it was that easy for us!! We have to think about the hair style up or down curly or straight, bun or pony as well as make up styles natural or smokey eye, red lippy? lip gloss? I haven't even started on the dress shoes and accessories!! Even writing this is making me stressed out. So in this post im going to give you some tips into making your formal experience as stress free as possible.

Start of by making a check list eg.

• Dress
• Hair
• Make up
• Shoes
• Bag
• Spry tan

These are the 6 key things that you will need, once you have booked/bought these things tick them off it makes you feel in control and organized. Formals can be expensive so i recommend using shoes/clutches/bags that you or your friends already have and trying to match them to your outfit this will save you a lot of money especially if you are on a budget!

For this formal I had my make up done at Gorgeous in David Jones, they always do an amazing job and you can bring in photos to help them get an idea of what you want, it only costs around $60 which is a lot cheaper than other stores such as Mac. I had my hair done at Masci Hair & Spa and i was so lucky that i had it done for free as i had a voucher from previously helping them out. My mum made my dress and the material was only $50. I used La tan spray which was around $14 and the shoes and bag i already had. So overall this formal cost me $124.

Below are some photo from that formal: 

 

I love a simple and elegant look for a formal and am a fan of long dress's! A long dress give a more formal vibe as you never really get the chance to wear a long dress at many other occasions. For most of the formals i went to i went long, but again its up to you! I found that the year 11 formal was more chilled out and girls went both long and shot but at year 12 formals most people went long!

The next photos are from a formal where i went for a more different look:

I was so nervous about wearing this dress because it was so different, i borrowed it off a friend who got it from a brand in Byron Bay called My Sunday feeling, it was an amazing dress and i felt like a princess in it. I did my makeup myself and my auntie did my hair and i borrowed shoes from a friend, so the only thing i paid for was the spray tan which was around $30! So ask around or even pay someone half price to borrow there dress it can make your formal experience so much cheaper!!

These next photos were of my first ever formal! I was so excited and wanted my dress to look amazing so i got it made and based it on a Blake Lively dress. I got the material for around $70 and my mums friend made the dress for me, i went to a few fittings and was sooooo happy with the outcome! My auntie did my hair and i did my own makeup! I got a spray tan ($30) and used shoes and a bag that i already had! So again this formal was pretty cheap!

 

   

 I don't want to bore you so ill only do one more!

For this formal i went white and i didn't want to look too much like a deb or i was getting married so i accessorized it up by a huge gold necklace that i borrowed from a friend that helped balance the whole look out. My mum made my dress with the material only costing me $70-$80, the shoes i borrowed from a friend, i got my hair done by my auntie and my makeup done by Gorgeous. So again if you ask around and make connections formals can become a lot cheaper.. below are some photos from that night:

 So over all my tips are to make connections with people and if you like something why not ask them where they got it from or if you can borrow it, epically accessories! If you can do it yourself just do it, watch videos on YouTube on how to do formal hair/makeup as you can do that kind of stuff easy!! And lastly less is more, go simple and elegant rather than getting your tits, ass and legs out pick one and don't get a dress from Gasp. Please.

But mostly remember formals are so fun and shouldn't be too stressful so enjoy yourself and wear what you feel comfortable and confident in!

Hope this helps for the girls who have asked me and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Ruby xxx